Improvement in cmcuits for printing-telegraphs



' zsh'eeis sheem- -L. T. LINDSEY.

Circuits for Printing Telegraphs. N0. 143,700. Patented Opt. 14,1873.

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. Witnesses: Inventor.

I MMW A t! orneys.

LAMNDY 'r. nrnnsav, or Jac son, rnnnnssnn.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent l lo. 143,700, datedOctober 14, 1873 i a M'arch 28,1873. 7

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, IJANDY T. LINDSEY, of Jackson, in thecounty ofMadison and in the State of Tennessee, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Printing Tele-i graphs and do hereby declare thatthejfolthe lack of a reliable synchronism between machines, and manyendeavors have been made to overcome this liability on the part of oneinstrument to getout of correspondence with another--such as devisingunison-stops or other mechanical meanswhereby, at the expense of a lossof time sufficie'nt to make a few revolutions of the type-wheel withoutal lowing any printing to be done,'the several instruments included inone circuit could be reliably r'egarded'as having each reached and beenhalted at the unison-point, when the printing would again begin,' to befollowed.

continually at short intervals by a repetition of the timing processabove described, thereby occasioning much loss of time, as no printingcould be allowed while thekadjustment of .the several instruments wasbeing made.

Anotherclass of similar instruments have no unison-stops, and dependentirely upon the pallets, which 1 either directly propel or control theescapement of an instrument making a'full and complete stroke, which, ifit fails to do on any one instrument, will cause it to fall out ofcorrespondence with the others to the extent' of one letter foreachtimeit so fails to complete a'full stroke.- 1 I My invention consists in sorunning the circuits that a full stroke of the lever which governs orcontrols the type-wheel mechanism is absolutely insured, and no loss oftime is application filed occasioned by having to bring the several in=1 'struments to a unison-point, as above described,

110' unison-stop being necessary.

In myinvention I establish in each instru ment a ground-connection withthat circuit which actuates or controls the movement of the type-wheelmechanism. This ground-connection is formed so as to leave the magnet ofsuch instrument between the same and the battery.or, in other words, thecurrent from the battery will pass through the magnet beforereachi'ngthe ground-connection. Its passage through the coils of the magnet,however,

cause the same to attractits armature lever thereto, which will have theeffect to destroy the ground connection there formed.

The circuit will remain unbroken, finding its ground in the nextinstrinnent in the succession,'which, in turn, will destroy its groundby the action of its magnet on its armaturelever, the circuit beingprolonged to and finding its ground in the next succeeding instru-#ment, where a repetition of the efi'ects above described will ensue,and so on throughout the series,the various instruments consecutivelyvlifting and destroying their respective grounds as the'circuit reachesand passes through a magnet thereof, until the last one is reached,where the circuit of the line is automatically broken, causing all ofthe levers to be simultaneously released from their respective magnetsandthe ground-connections reestablished,

to be again destroyed inrotation, as above described. Thus the series ofestablishing and obliterating the ground-connections will be regularlyand automatically kept up.

As'the ground-connection ineach instrument has to be destroyed beforethe succeeding instrument can be effected, it can be clearly seen thatit is impossible for one instrument to get out of correspondence withanother, as the lever which controls the ground in each has to quite orvery nearly complete its stroke'before the magnet to be affected in thenext instrument in rotation derives any benefit from the current. Thissystem, therefore, begins with a short circuit, which is successivelylengthened until the end thereof is reached, when the circuit, beingdestroyed, is re-formed on the instrument nearest the battery, andthence prolonged by degrees until the end is again reached, when it willbe again broken, and a repetition of the above results again ensue, andso on automatically throughout.

It is to be understood that the battery is only to be connected with theline when it is to be brought into operation. This may be effected bythe use of a circuit-breaking bar, which will keep the circuit brokenand the line open, except when required to be brought into use.

In the drawings I have only represented the general circuits and magnetstherein and leversafl'ected thereby, together with the manner of formingand destroying the groimd-connections, as these levers may be applied inany of the ordinary ways to propel a type-wheel, either by direct actionor by controlling an escapement actuated by any independent power.

In Figure 1 the arrangement of the circuit requires absolutely that onelever shall finish its stroke before another lever can begin. Byreference thereto it will be seen that the current leaves the battery Band proceeds direct to the magnet D; thence through this magnet into thesupport S of the lever L; thence to the spring 0, finding its groundthrough the toothed wheel W. As this establishes a current at oncethrough the magnet D, the lever L is attracted thereto, and, byactuating or releasing the wheel W, either moves or allows it to escapethe width of one of its teeth, which drops the spring 0 into a spacethereof, and thus destroys the ground-connection there formed. Thecircuit, however, is maintained imbroken by finding its way, as soon asthe ground at WV is removed, through the lever L, spring 6, and post P,to the magnet D thence through this magnet to the support S of the leverL; thence to the spring 0 and to the ground through the toothed wheel Wwith which this spring is in contact. Here a repe tition of the efiectsjust described follow. The wheel W is made to revolve until the toothwhereon the spring 0 is resting passes from under it, leaving thisspring in one of the illterdental spaces, and destroying the groundthere formed. The circuit, however, is maintained and prolonged,asnbefore, via the support S lever L spring 1', and post P to the magnetD thence through this magnet to the support S of the lever L .thence tothe spring 0 and to the ground'through the toothed wheel W as beforedescribed. The wheel W in turn is now actuated, and revolvessufficiently far to release a tooth from its contact with the spring 0leaving this spring in the space succeeding the tooth, and destroyingthe ground there formed, and in this instance the circuit also. As thisrepresents the terminal of the line, it is necessary to interrupt thecircuit here, which is done by having no spring corresponding with thosemarked i i, and no connection with the post P As this breaks the circuitthe levers L L L are released from their magnets simultaneously,carrying another tooth of their respective wheels W W WV to contact withsprings O O 0 which reestablishes the ground-connections, which nowrequire to be again successively overcome, as above described.

The use of the springs i t" is to make sure that the levers L L formcontact with the posts P P before the springs O 0 break contact withtheir toothed wheels W W respectively, as otherwise the circuit would bebroken. The springs i t" can be so adjusted that they will always makecontact with their respective posts just before the springs O O severcontact with their respective wheels.

A modification of this plan may be made, however, which will,apparently, accomplish the same results, and somewhat simplify theforegoing, where many instruments are in a single circuit, and by whichmeans more speed will possibly be obtained. This is represented in Fig.2, and consists in dispensing with the toothed wheels W and springs 0operating thereon, except at the beginning and end of a circuit, theintervening instruments having their ground established by the contactof their respective levers with the posts, against which they are heldby spiral springs when not attracted by their respective magnets.

Referring to Fig. 2, the circuit, leaving the battery B, proceeds untilit reaches the magnet D exactly as described thus far in Fig. 1. Here,however, there being no toothed wheel corresponding to W or springcorresponding to 0 the circuit continues unbroken, after passing throughthe magnet D and connecting with the stand S on, to, and through. themagnet D thence, after connecting with the stand S on, to, and throughthe magnet D when it unites with a spring, 0 and finds its groundthrough the wheel W, as described in the fore- I going figure. Thisbeing the end of the line, the office of this wheel is now to break thecircuit, causing the several levers to be simultaneously released.

The circuit through the intervening magnets D D finds its ground, ineach instance, through the supports S S levers L L and posts B B whichlatter are connected with the ground, and correspond, in their officehere, to that of the toothed wheel shown elsewhere. This arrangementwill be somewhat faster than that first described, inasmuch as the leverL no sooner severs its contact with the post R in response to theinfluence of the magnet D than the current is instantaneously prolongedto and through the magnet D by destroying the ground formed on the postR and the magnet D no sooner attracts its lever L and causes this leverto sever its contact with the post R than the ground there formed isdestroyed, and the current is continued, with the same rapidity, to andthrough the magnet D not requiring one magnet to wait until the lever ofthe preceding magnet has completed its stroke before the circuit couldbe lengthened to include the next magnet, as in the firstmentioned case.

Provision has also been made to compel the levers which directly orindirectly actuate the printing mechanism not to respond to the impulseto print by vibrating simultaneously; but the lever of each particularmachine cannot act until such machine has acted in its order ofsuccession, and brought the desired letters into proper position. Thedemand for this is obvious; for, if the circuit of the printing-magnetswas closed through all those magnets simultaneously, the levers thereofwould act with one accord whereas, in the consecutive order of rotationof the type-controlling magnets, some of these latter might not yet havebeen reached, and a wrong letter would thereby be produced. In order toinsure this I add certain connections, which are controlled by themagnet and lever of the type-moving mechanism, which interposes aground-connection before each of the printmg-lever magnets, which cannotbe removed until the magnet and lever first named have acted in theirturn. This will be explained by reference to Fig. 2, an explanation ofone sufficing for all. By reference thereto it will be seen that I add,near one end of the lever L, two posts, H G. The post His connecteddirectly with the ground, and has aright-angled horizontal spring, E,resting upon the post Gr, and projecting beyond the same, so as tooverlap the lever L, which has an insulated projection thereon. The postG has a wire communicating therefrom to the magnetM of theprinting-lever series. If the circuit, which includes the printing-lever magnets, benowclosed, itwill-be seen that, until the lever L hascompleted its stroke, no current can go through the magnet M, but,leaving the battery F, it will go at once, via the wire leading from themagnet M, to thepost G; thence, via the spring E and post H, to theground. When, however, the magnet D attracts the lever L to its poles,this lever will, just at the conclusion of its stroke, lift the springE. from the top of the post G, destroying the ground-connection via thepost H, and extending the circuit through the magnet M to a similararrangement in the succeeding instrument, when the ground will be inturn likewise removed, and so continue throughout.

Suitable switches maybe introduced into the route of theground-connections in either circuit, to permanently disunite saidconnections, if so desired. As the operation of these circuits and themagnets contained therein have direct reference to insuring a reliablesuccession in the movement of the levers controlled thereby, no specialapplication is claimed for said levers, either in their application toactuatin g the type-wheel or controlling the printing; but they may, ineither instance, be adapted to act directly by propelling or giving ablow to make the impression, or indirectly by controlling an escapementactuated by any form of independent power, either for revolving the typeor causing the printing to be done.

, All the advantages derived from stopping to print a letter are insuredby the natural application of this instrument, while, at the same time,the motion is continuous and automatic. This follows from the fact thatthe instruments nearest thebattery are first affected by the current,and pause after their movement, during the time the succeedinginstruments are being successively included in the circuit, until thelast is reached, when the circuit will be broken, and their respectivelevers will be released by the magnets controlling them. This pause willhave its maximum of time in the instrument at the beginning of thecircuit nearest the battery, and its minimum in the last instrument atthe termination of the circuit, the intervening instruments being haltedin proportionate ratio.

It will, of course, be imderstood that any equivalent mechanical deviceanswering the same purpose maybeused, in lieu of the toothed wheels Wand the springs O, for alternately forming and destroying theground-connections.

If it is so desired, relay-magnets may be in- 1. In a line ofprinting-telegraph having a series of instruments arranged in onecircuit,

the combination of a ground-connection with each and every instrument ofthe series, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

2. In a line of printing-telegraph having a series of instruments foroperating the typewheels, and a series of instruments for operating theprinting mechanisms, the combination of aground-connection with each andevery printing-instrument through its typewheel instrument, in such amanner that, as the lever of the type-wheel instrument completes itsstroke, the said connection between the printing-instrument and theground will be temporarily broken, for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereimto set my hand this27th day of March, 1873.

Witnesses: L. T. LINDSEY.

O. L. Evnnr, A. N. Mann.

